Designs for new retail center at 900 Rockville Pike posted (Photos)

The Rockville architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. has posted the results of the Schematic Design Study it developed for 900 Rockville Pike. Client J. Danshes LLC is attempting to develop a retail center on a property that has proved challenging to develop up until now.

SJKAIA, Inc.'s designs show a new, 7000 SF retail building on the site, and 34 parking spaces. Construction is forecast at $1.9 million, with an anticipated delivery date of January 2019. The renderings also show an apparent ingress/egress solution, which had been a sticking point with the property owner next door in the past. In previous attempts to develop the property, the Maryland State Highway Administration had declined to approve new curb cuts between that adjacent property to the south, and Edmonston Drive. An easement was sought to utilize the curb cut on the adjacent property as a shared access driveway at that time.

If successful, this would bring a lot more value to the community than the previous project proposed here by another applicant, a billiards store.

Renderings courtesy Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc.
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Chuy's is coming to Rockville (Photos)

Austin-based Tex-Mex chain Chuy's has leased the vacated Ruby Tuesday space at Federal Plaza. Construction is now underway inside and outside the future restaurant.

Like all Chuy's locations, this one will have a shrine to Elvis, and hubcaps and wooden fish hanging from the ceiling. It will also have the recipes taken from towns on both sides of the border, and emphasis on fresh ingredients, found in all of their restaurants.

Chuy's started in 1982, but only began to expand outside of the Lone Star State in 2009. The Rockville location is part of a planned expansion in the D.C. area. Get ready to order a Big As Yo Face burrito, pay further tribute to The King with the Elvis Presley Memorial Combo, and cool off with one of their signature cocktails.

The restaurant will be located at 12266 Rockville Pike.

Mayor & Council approve Rockville Pike Plan, EYA Tower Oaks project, Circulator study

The final Mayor & Council meeting of the summer in Rockville last night had a full agenda, with several long-term projects gaining approval. More than eight years after beginning the process, the Rockville Pike Plan received unanimous approval from the body. Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton reminded everyone that part of the delay was caused by the city's consultant, who drew up a plan that was not viable for Rockville. Successive mayors and councilmembers, and planning commissioners, were tasked with reshaping a European vision into something more suited to Rockville.

Depending on your perspective, the revised Pike Plan is either more flexible, or more favorable to developers, than the one sent to the Mayor and Council by the Planning Commission. Most prominently, building height restrictions will be much more liberal than the Planning Commission's height caps.

In other development news, the Mayor & Council unanimously approved EYA's Tower Oaks development, which will include 375 housing units along Preserve Parkway. Last minute edits to the plan included a notation that affordable units be spread out through the development rather than clustered in one spot. Newton suggested "scattered;" EYA SVP Aakash Thakkar said his firm uses the term "integrated" to mean the same thing. The latter language was deemed acceptable.

Councilmember Beryl Feinberg wanted some assurance that a shuttle would begin service for residents before 100% of the units were sold. Thakkar said 50% occupancy would create the "critical mass" needed to support the shuttle in terms of ridership. The Mayor and Council also accepted that provision.

Planning and Zoning Director Susan Swift suggested the Mayor & Council tie the shuttle to the issuance of occupancy permits for 50% of the single-family homes, townhomes and mulitfamily buildings. That would give City staff a way to verify the threshold had been met, she said.

Finally, the Mayor & Council voted 3-2 to approve a study of a Circulator bus or trolley within the City. City staff would develop a scope of work for the project in September. A consultant would be hired by early 2017, and a report would be due by Fall 2017.

Councilmembers Julie Palakovich Carr and Mark Pierzchala opposed the study. "I'm not enthusiastic about this," Pierzchala said. "As far as a Circulator type solutions, we have all the information we need right now. It's expensive."

Pierzchala said he also feared that a City Circulator would prompt Montgomery County to withdraw its investment in existing bus service, leaving Rockville taxpayers holding the bag. "I am really afraid...the County would have a justification to eliminate Route 45. Suddenly, we're in the transportation business."

After extensively considering various Circulator scenarios, Pierzchala said, "I can't make it work."

Palakovich Carr concurred. "I'm not sure what else there is to learn at this point," she said. "I just don't think we need to spend $60,000 or more." She suggested Rockville put its efforts toward County proposals like Bus Rapid Transit, and more direct door-to-door options for those in need.

Newton declared herself "disappointed" with the dissenters, arguing that the Circulator would address many of their stated political goals on the environment, among other issues. Feinberg proposed exploring having the study done by University of Maryland graduate students to save on costs.

While not ruling it out, Newton said it was important that the City use professional and experienced consultants. "This needs to be...done with the best experience and knowledge," she said.

Sports Authority closes in Rockville (Photos)

Sports Authority has closed at the Montrose Crossing shopping center in Rockville. The store looks cleared out of merchandise inside, although shelves and checkout counters remain in place.

It will be interesting to see what Federal Realty does with this large space - bring in Dick's Sporting Goods, another big box retailer, or reconfigure the space into multiple retail and dining units.

Dick's, which bought the intellectual property rights and 31 leases from the bankrupt Sports Authority chain, has stores in Wheaton Plaza and Rio/Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg.

Speaking of Dick's, that mega chain is poised to be the second biggest beneficiary of the closure, according to a study by NinthDecimal, an audience intelligence data firm. Walmart, Target, Marshall's, Kohl's and Kmart are all stores where current Sports Authority shoppers spend money, the firm found.

Federal Realty may pick up some of the lost traffic at their Pike & Rose development diagonally across the street. Not only are they adding a Nike Factory Store, but REI - now under construction at Pike & Rose - is forecast to be the fourth most-likely destination for Sports Authority patrons.

Lunch Out Live concerts could start August 11 in Rockville, if Mayor and Council approve

Answering requests from Rockville Town Center merchants to restore public events that drew more customers at lunchtime in the past, City staff has proposed launching a new concert series as soon as August 11. Lunch Out Live would feature live music from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM on Thursdays from August 11 through September 29 this year.

Thursdays were chosen to avoid drawing people away from the existing Dawson's Farmers Market on Wednesdays.

Staff estimates the expense of hosting the event to be $1000 per concert. The outlay would have to be approved by the Mayor and Council, who will be briefed on the proposal at their meeting on Monday night. A decision would be necessary that night, as the Mayor and Council won't meet for several weeks afterward.

E. Montgomery Avenue would have to close in front of Regal Row businesses for safety reasons during the concerts, which would eliminate a number of the available parking spaces for lunch patrons. A farmers market on E. Montgomery Avenue featured live music in past years.

Rockville garage entrance closure throws another monkey wrench into Town Center parking problem

The temporary closure of the Monroe Street garage entrance of 255 Rockville Pike has sent Rockville officials and business advocates scrambling to reduce the impact on businesses at Regal Row. Assistant City Manager Jenny Kimball says Colonial Parking informed the City that the entrance should reopen on August 10.

To assist Regal Row businesses, Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI) has printed up posters that Regal Row merchants can post in their windows about parking alternatives. The organization is also assisting Colonial Parking in creating a sign to be posted at the Monroe Street entrance during the closure.

City staff will present the first results of their efforts to respond to the parking crisis Town Center merchants described to the Mayor and Council on June 13. Chief among them are data on available spaces near Regal Row, improved signage, and designation of 15-minute "pick-up" spaces along E. Montgomery Avenue and Maryland Avenue, for patrons picking up carry-out orders from restaurants at Regal Row and Rockville Town Square.

Staff determined that the remaining surface parking in front of the Regal Cinemas is the first to fill at peak times. In working with the operator of the garage in the new Cambria Suites/Upton building, staff has identified many available spaces there. Between 2:00 and 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday, July 15-16, the Cambria garage had between 55 and 96 spaces open at any given moment.

As a result, staff is recommending adding signage to alert drivers to the new Cambria garage entrances. They propose adding 4 new signs to the 3 that are already in place in the vicinity of the building.

They also recommend designating two currently-metered spaces along Regal Row as free parking for 15 minutes, as well as adding two such spaces to Gibbs Street, and converting the 5-minute book drop-off spaces by the Rockville Memorial Library on Maryland Avenue to 15-minute free parking spaces. Success of the spaces would be measured by consulting with merchants in three months, to determine if the free spots are helping the situation or not.

All of the proposals will cost money, and the suggestions will be discussed at the Mayor and Council meeting this Monday, August 1, at City Hall. Please note that this meeting will begin earlier than usual at 6:30 PM, due to the size of the meeting agenda.

Rockville construction update: Brightview West End (Photos)

Rockville's new senior housing development, Brightview West End, is under construction at 285 N. Washington Street. CBG Building Company is the construction company, and the architecture was designed by Hord Coplan Macht, Inc.

Brightview West End will include 195 units of independent and assisted living, 6568 SF of ground floor retail, dining facilities and a fitness center, a landscaped courtyard, and a "therapeutic" roof garden. Alzheimer's care will also be a specialty at this residential building, and services will include transportation to medical centers, museums and galleries, and local events. A movie theater, library and "upscale pub with billiards and TV" round out the leisure options.

Delivery is expected in 2017. A rental office Welcome Center is now open at 401 N. Washington Street.